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Toll Discounts for Going Green

Under the Ecopass system in Milan, left, alternative-power cars are exempt from a pollution charge. Hybrid owners also get a break with E-ZPass.Credit
Jim McKnight/Associated Press

CAR companies advertise how hybrid cars get great mileage. They could also add tolls to the list of savings.

A small but growing number of toll agencies around the world are giving discounts to owners of some alternative-power vehicles. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced last November that it would offer a $2 E-ZPass discount to the owners of three hybrid models, following the example of the New York State Thruway Authority, which introduced 10 percent E-ZPass discounts on those cars in 2006.

Under both plans, owners of vehicles that get 45 miles a gallon on the highway and meet low emission standards can receive the discounts. The only vehicles that qualify are the Toyota Prius, the Honda Civic Hybrid and the Honda Insight models from 2000 to 2004 — only because later versions of the Insight don’t meet the emission standards.

Existing E-ZPass customers who have an account with either agency can apply for the discount by mail by including a copy of their registration. Owners who qualify will receive a green E-ZPass transponder.

“The green pass not only makes traveling easier and more convenient for motorists who travel along the system, it also encourages the use of cleaner, more efficient vehicles,” said Michael R. Fleischer, executive director of the thruway authority.

The authority has issued about 1,240 green tags out of nearly 2.3 million tags over all.

The low acceptance rate did not discourage the Port Authority from adding its plan. When tolls increase in March, green E-ZPass holders using the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels, the George Washington Bridge and the three crossings between New Jersey and Staten Island during off-peak hours will pay $4 instead of the new off-peak rate of $6 for users of the regular E-ZPass.

“Just as we use pricing to encourage mass transit use by keeping fares low, we are using pricing to encourage increased use of low-emitting vehicles with our green pass program,” said Anthony E. Shorris, the agency’s executive director.

Gov. Jon S. Corzine of New Jersey said this month that he would consider introducing green discounts on that state’s toll roads as well.

Toll discounts have been popping up in Europe, too. This year, Milan started levying a charge based on vehicle emissions in five engine classes. Owners pay $2.90 to $14.50 on weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Vehicles with methane, electricity and hybrid engines, as well as ambulances and many motorcycles, are exempt.

Milan’s system, called Ecopass, is a variation on the congestion pricing used in Stockholm, where vehicles are charged different prices depending on the time of day they enter the city. Ambulances, large buses and motorcycles are exempt from the fees, as are cars that run entirely or partly on electricity.

On Feb. 4, London, which introduced congestion charges in 2003, will start charging a pollution fee on most buses and trucks entering much of the city. Electric cars and other clean vehicles are exempt.

While transportation experts applauded these efforts to reduce smog and bolster fuel efficiency, they worry that the discounts could reduce toll revenue.

“While all this is great for climate control, as these vehicles become more popular it’ll erode their revenues,” said Jeffrey M. Zupan, a senior fellow at the Regional Plan Association in New York. “All these are good measures, but you don’t want to compromise the purpose of the tolls.”

Mr. Zupan and other transportation experts also questioned policies in California and other states that permit hybrid vehicles — even those with no passengers — to ride in high-occupancy vehicle, or H.O.V., lanes. These lanes, they said, are intended to reward drivers who car-pool and to reduce highway congestion. But as more hybrids are sold, H.O.V. lanes could end up being just as crowded as other lanes.

“There’s a lot of interest in how agencies can be more environmentally beneficent,” said Neil Gray, the director of government affairs at the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association. “H.O.V. lanes used to be lightly traveled, but these cars take up space. There’s pressure to ask what’s more legitimate.”